April 17, 2013 Day 341
Deep
Creek Town Wall Deep Creek (Chesapeake), VA
Total miles to date: 5799.3
We
left Elizabeth City at 7:15 to make the opening of the Elizabeth City bridge at
7:30. What a lovely calm day! We left the Pasquotank River at 9:15 and
transited the South Mills Lock which raised us eight feet.
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| Bob and Gennie helping lock through at the South Mills Lock |
We
spent the rest of the day on the Dismal Swamp Canal (also known as the
Ditch). The canal was first proposed by
Col. William Byrd in 1728 but construction did not begin until 1793 and had to
be dug out by hand. Twelve years later it was completed. We were mesmerized by
the beauty of the canal. The reflections
of the cypress trees in the water made us feel as though we were traveling on glass.
The dark water of the canal is the tannin which is a result of decaying bark.
We did not find it dismal at all, but appreciated the serenity of our journey
on this nature filled canal. We stopped
at the Visitors Center Dock and toured the Museum to learn more about the
history and wildlife in the Dismal Swamp.
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| We are back in Virginia! |
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| Carried Away at the Visitors Center |
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| The mirror like canal! |
